Blood Stained Angel
by NemKess
Summary: warnings: eventual shonen ai, some violence. When Weiss is disbanded, the vigilantes go back to living their normal lives. The problem is that one of them never had a normal life.
1. Prologue

Title: Blood-Stained Angel  
Author/pseudonym: NemKess  
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz  
Pairing: none here, future Ran/Omi, Schuldig/Farfello  
Rating: R  
Status: WIP  
E-mail address for feedback:: nemsmuses@msn.com  
  


Disclaimers: Weiss belong to me? I could only wish. Nope, not mine.

  
Notes: The fic 'A Name' is not a necessary read for this fic to make sense, but it does give background to some things. I'd recommend checking it out first. Regardless, this fic disregards anything canon that might have happened after the first 25 episodes. That's all I own and have seen, that's all that's being included as background info here.  
  
Summary: When Weiss is disbanded, the vigilantes go back to living their normal lives. The problem is that one of them never had a normal life to begin with.   
Warnings: eventual shonen ai. violence. possible OOCness.

_For so long Darkness has been my home  
Born of light  
Lost   
Alone  
Saved  
Sinned  
Saved again  
Only to be lost to the Darkness in the end._

~*~*~

The life of an assassin wasn't an easy one. Even when you dressed it up in pretty ideals and called it justice.

It was a dirty business, killing for money. Even if the victims were the most evil dredges of society.

So it wasn't too surprising when the members of the vigilante team known as Weiss started to crack under the strain- and stain- of their chosen occupation. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The red haired woman asked her companion.

He shrugged and continued to stare out over the sea. There were few things that had ever given him true peace, but the sea had never failed him before. "It has to be done. Weiss is destroying them."

Manx sighed and leaned back against the rail, staring in the opposite direction towards the city lights. The sea only made her feel nauseous and she'd never understood his fascination with it. "Weiss is a part of them. What will they do in the real world now, with their hands so bloodstained?"

The wind ruffled his hair and he smiled faintly. "They can do whatever they want to do, Manx. I think Kritiker owes them a healthy retirement bonus, don't you?" he paused long enough for her to nod before continuing. "I imagine that the Fujimiya's will get reacquainted, perhaps take over the flower shop or start their own elsewhere. Kudou will probably go back to being a detective or a P.I. and Hidaka will take that coaching position at the middle school that he keeps turning down."

She sighed and bumped his shoulder as she reminded him of the one he'd missed. "And Tsukiyono?"

"We both know that Tsukiyono Omi only ever existed for five people and on paper. With one of those people dead and three others as good as for him, I don't think he'll be necessary anymore."

"Bombay, then?"

"Kritiker needs to be rebuilt. All of us remaining will see to that task before we think any further. That includes Bombay."

"I don't like it," she complained. Kritiker did need to be rebuilt. It was hardly a time to be retiring three of the very few assets they had left. What would Shuichi say?

With another sigh, she stared up at the night sky and had to concede that with his brother Raiji dead, Shuichi probably wouldn't have cared one way or the other. His vengeance had been had and he was in the after life with his beloved now. And the young man at her side was the one in charge.

The expression on his face as he turned around was one of sympathy and determination. "We don't have to like it, we just have to do it." He handed over four envelopes. "Disband the group tomorrow. Make it sound good. If they realize that this is being done for their own good, they'll resist. Better if they think Kritiker is too far gone to be brought back. It isn't so far from the truth anyways."

Taking the packets, she clasped his shoulder for a moment before walking away. She did call one last bit of advice over her shoulder though. "Don't stay out here too long. The last thing we need is for the new boss to get sick."

He chuckled softly and waved her off before turning back to the sea. 

Weiss would not be allowed to self-destruct. Not when it could be dismantled and it's parts salvaged. Only Bombay was too far gone to be saved. The others could live normal lives if they were pushed into it. 

They'd done it before. 

Only the resurfacing of their enemies had brought them back.

This time would be different.

This time Kritiker would keep watch from a distance and protect the men that it had damaged in it's quest for justice.

The young man on the wharf would see to it personally.


	2. Chapter 1

_Darkness hides the evil that haunts you  
Born of blood  
Shed  
By enemies  
Shed  
By friends  
Shed  
By you  
But Darkness also hides a protective Angel._

~*~*~

Ran put down the book he was reading and rubbed weary violet eyes. A glance over at the clock told him that he'd been reading far too long. He had to be up to open the book shop in about four hours. Aya-chan was going to kill him if he overslept again.

The Fujimiya's owned a small bookshop in a town not too far from Tokyo. Ran had been reluctant to be so close to so many memories- mostly bad, but Aya had been insistent that they remain within easy driving distance of the city. The redhead would be the first to admit that he was usually a pushover when it came to his sister. He'd never been able to deny her anything **before** the hit and run that had left her coma-bound, never mind after she'd woken up.

That was why he found himself co-owner of a new and used bookshop. 

That morning, seven years before, Manx had shown up at the flower shop, not with a mission, but with Aya-chan and four small non-descript envelopes that had contained their new lives.

The new boss of Kritiker had retired them and passed on quite a tidy little sum of 'hush money', as their liaison had called it. All their debts had been taken care of and the vigilante assassins formerly known as Weiss had been free to move on with new lives.

His sister had been completely oblivious to the fact that he was no longer the smiling aniki she'd left behind. They were all the family they had left, she'd insisted. 

Luck or fate had sent them a newspaper with an add about an old man selling his bookshop.

There was a school nearby where Aya-chan had taken up where she left off and graduated. She'd decided against college despite the fact that there was still plenty of money left over for it. She wanted to spend time with her aniki. She wanted to help him find himself again.

And she had, to some extent.

He'd never be as carefree as he'd been before Raiji Takatori had destroyed a good portion of his life, his hands were far too stained for that (and as Aya-chan had laughingly reminded him, he'd always been on the serious side). But he'd lost a lot of the antagonism and anger.

Sometimes he could go weeks, even months without those dark years even crossing his mind. He ignored the flash of bright blue eyes and the small voice that reminded him that it hadn't been **all** bad. 

Instead, he got up and went to his window. Their shared apartment was above the bookshop. Often, it reminded him of the flower shop he'd once used as a cover. 

Aya-chan had gone to bed ages ago, but he'd been restless and unable to sleep. 

All day long he'd had the eeriest feeling that someone had been watching him.

Instincts that had been dying a slow death, sprung suddenly back to life, screaming red alerts in his head. Someone was hunting him. He'd had the feeling a few times in the past few years, but it always disappeared in a day or so and he'd never seen any evidence of his elusive stalker. The day before though, he'd spotted a suspicious looking man following him. He'd ducked into a shop to try and lose his shadow. When he'd gone back out, the man had disappeared as if he'd never been.

Ran would have thought he was imagining things, but he knew that if he was paranoid, the feeling would never go away. 

The thought had barely crossed his mind before the hunted feeling faded once more. Whatever danger there had been, it was gone.

His gaze was drawn to the tree that stood in front of the shop. A shadow disengaged from a tree limb and flowed gracefully to the ground. It stood there, silent, staring, before vanishing completely. 

Eyes widening, he rushed down the stares and out the front door. He searched the darkness, but could not catch sight of anything out of the ordinary. Still, Ran was sure of what he'd seen in those few seconds when the shadow had stood still.

One word escaped his lips as he wrapped his arms around his waist, unsure if it was the night air that made him so suddenly cold or if it was something else. One word.. One name...

A name he'd never thought he'd say again.

"Omi."


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Blood-Stained Angel  
Author/pseudonym: NemKess  
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz  
Pairing: Ran/Omi, Schuldig/Farfello  
Rating: R  
Status: WIP  
E-mail address for feedback:: nemsmuses@msn.com  
  


Disclaimers: Weiss belong to me? I could only wish. Nope, not mine. Only the horrible poem and the story idea are my own.

  
Notes: The fic 'A Name' is not a necessary read for this fic to make sense, but it does give background to some things. I'd recommend checking it out first. Regardless, this fic disregards anything canon that might have happened after the first 25 episodes. That's all I own and have seen, that's all that's being included as background info here.  
  
Summary: When Weiss is disbanded, the vigilantes go back to living their normal lives. The problem is that one of them never had a normal life.   
Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi. violence. possible OOCness.

~*~*~

_Of Darkness born  
Alone.  
With shadows live  
Alone.  
In Darkness die  
Alone.  
_

~*~*~

"You were careless, Bombay. He saw you. "

The younger of the pair winced. "I know."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know."

~*~*~

"Maybe you were just dreaming, Aniki. Or seeing things. You did stay up awfully late," Aya-chan said with a hint of disapproval in her voice. 

Her brother shook his head adamantly. "No. It was Omi. I'd swear it." 

She could only offer a helpless shrug. "Why on Earth would he being doing skulking around a bookshop in the dead of night? I mean, this isn't Tokyo. What are the chances?" 

The clang of the door announced customers, but for once, both siblings ignored it. They were far too concerned with their own conversation. The elder of the pair sighed and ran a slim hand through his blood red locks. "If it was him, then it was an accident or a coincident. Maybe he was here looking for me and changed his mind or something." 

"Aniki.." Aya-chan started with a doubtful look on her face. 

"Actually, you're probably right." Ran whirled, instinctively settling into a defensive stance at the droll sounding voice right behind him. Only to blink in confusion at the face smirking at him. "Getting a little rusty, are we?" The blonde inquired, his green eyes sparkling with amusement(1). 

"Yoji!" 

Another familiar face, this one topped with dark brown hair, popped up from behind the tall lanky figure. "Hey, Aya.. I mean.. Ran." 

"Ken?" The bookshop owner could only gape at his former comrades. "What are you doing here? How did you find us?" 

Smirk growing, Yoji leaned against the store counter. "It wasn't that hard. You didn't exactly try to hide and I **am** a private investigator these days. And as for why we're here? Well, just take a look at these." 

He dropped several photos in front of Ran. Though confused, the redhead glanced through them quickly zeroing in on one he recognized. "Hey, this guy was following me yesterday." 

Yoji's smirk turned upside down as he got serious. He leaned over and looked at the photo before pulling out a small notepad and scanning whatever was written on it. "According to the local police, he took a long walk off a short cliff yesterday afternoon. His body was found at the bottom of the lookout point just outside of town." The P.I. separated each of the half a dozen photos. "This one was found in an alley way a few blocks down the road from here- victim of an apparent mugging." He pointed to the third picture of a hard looking man dressed in cheap leather.. "The hotel staff found Mr. Leather's body this morning. Slit wrists, apparent suicide. And Baldie here stepped out in front of a speeding car just a few hours ago. They haven't found these last two yet, but I imagine it will only be a few hours until they do." 

"Other than the fact that one of them was following me yesterday, what exactly does that have to do with me... Or you for that matter?" 

The newcomers shared a look before Ken dumped the contents of his backpack across the counter. Dozens of files spilled out. Yoji tucked his hair behind his ears before answering. "The first time the cops approached me about one of these cases, it was because I'd been the last one to see the victim. He was following me and I'd confronted him in front of witnesses. I had an airtight alibi, thankfully. The killing was later ruled gang related, but something didn't feel right about that and it got me curious enough to start investigating on my own." 

"He tracked me down last year to ask me if anything similar had happened to me," Ken added. "I'd been brought in for questioning on a case where one of my co-workers had died under mysterious circumstances." 

With a nod, Yoji continued. "Both of us had settled away from Tokyo in places with lower criminal activity. The cops were complaining about the sudden jump in the murder/suicide rate for the last couple of years. On a hunch, I checked both the police and the public records for both our areas, going back about a decade." 

"Let me guess," Ran interrupted with a sigh. "The increase started about the same time you moved in." 

Winking and tapping his nose, the lanky man grinned. "Bingo. Now obviously, Ken and I weren't doing it. So I investigated the victims. None of them were all that nice, though I doubt any would have gotten on our hit list when we were with Weiss. But...." His dramatic pause was long enough to annoy his companions. Ran scowled at him while Ken actually went as far as bopping him on the back of the head, much to Aya-Chan's amusement. 

"Just tell him, baka." 

"Ke-en... Don't be so mean. I was getting there." The scene was a familiar one to Ran and he was surprised at how much he'd missed the playful interactions of his old companions. "Anyways, the kicker is that they all had connections back to people who **were** on our list. And they had no legitimate reasons for being in our areas. I spent the last week doing a similar check for around here. It's even worse than ours." 

"Yoji thinks that Omi never left Kritiker and that he's been using it's resources to protect us." 

Ran stared down at the files with a frown. He didn't like the way that sounded. It meant that Omi had sacrificed his own chance at salvation to keep them from being dragged back down into the blood. _Omi_... 

"Wait a minute," Aya-chan interjected. The three young men startled faintly. They'd almost forgotten that she was there. "Omi... isn't he the one.. well.. that... you **know** ..... that day.... Ran?" 

Her brother blushed a deep scarlet that almost matched his hair as Yoji laughed and slung one arm around his shoulder. "Yup, that was Omittchi. Our fearless leader here is probably the **only **one who didn't know about the kid's crush on him until that day. He's so clueless, " 

It had only taken a week or so for the entire group to make plans and arrangements after Manx had given them their walking papers. Aya had helped Ran pack, chatting away happily about the new life they were going to have. Yoji and Ken had stuck their heads in from time to time- Ken to help, Yoji to annoy- but Omi had been strangely absent. Usually he was the first one to offer his help when one of his teammates, most especially Ran, needed it. The former Abyssian hadn't admitted it, but the chibi's absence had worried him. 

They'd loaded their belongings into Ran's car, the elder sibling sad that the teammate he was closest to hadn't shown up to say goodbye. Aya was already in and buckled up when Omi came running out of the shop. He'd skidded to a stop directly in front of the redhead and stared for a long moment. Ran opened his mouth to speak when the eighteen year old had rose up on his tiptoes and kissed him soundly before turning and running away again. He never did say goodbye. 

The look on Omi's face as he'd pulled away still haunted his sleep sometimes. It had never occurred to him that Omi was into guys at all, never mind that all that emotion could have been for him. For once Yoji was right, he was pretty clueless. 

At the moment though, that was beside the point. Ran was still skeptical. He didn't want it to be true. He didn't want to have to acknowledge that they might have left Omi to that life. "Yoji, Manx said Kritiker was crippled. The new boss had decided to focus all the remaining resources on research and development. Leave the vigilante stuff alone. And Omi was let go too."

"First of all, we don't know that Omi was let go. Sure, he got a letter, but none of us ever saw what was in it. We just assumed it was the same as ours."

Ken added his own two cents. "Yeah, and whenever I asked him what his plans were, he was always really vague. Then he'd steer the conversation over to my new coaching job and I'd forget all about it."

With a nod, Yoji moved on. "Secondly, it would hardly be the first time that Manx lied to us. And lastly..." He pulled a newspaper clipping out of his pocket and handed it over to the violet eyed man. Apparently it was a day for shocks. "Like I said, you weren't all that hard to find. Neither was Ken. Tsukiyono Omi on the other hand, seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth."

The article was about a diplomatic function being held at the home of the sole surviving member of the Takatori family, Takatori Mamoru.

"Omi's the new head of Kritiker?" Ran's voice was faint from shock. Omi had dared to take back the name of Takatori? 

But Yoji was shrugging. "I don't know. I couldn't get a picture, a good description or any concrete evidence either way." He flipped to another page in his notepad. "What we do know for sure is that Mamoru was kidnapped when he was five and that daddy dearest refused to pay the ransom. The story goes that his uncle Shuichi-"

"Persia." Ken clarified.

"Right, Persia found him and fearing for his safety at the hands of Raiji, took him to live at Tsukiyono Castle with the grandfather, letting everyone believe that he'd died. Then, after all the other Takatori's had died, he came back to Tokyo to take over the family **businesses**." The former assassins shared an uneasy glance at the emphasis. "There was a big to do over whether or not he was the genuine heir, but the grandfather supported the story and swore that he'd had dna tests done to prove it."

"But we know that Omi was born Takatori Mamoru." It had certainly taken Ran long enough to get over that fact. He was hardly likely to forget it now.

"Right. But the chibi was definitely with us for a couple of the years that Mamoru was supposedly with his grandfather. I even compared some of the dates of supposed sightings and unless Omi somehow mastered the art of being in two places at once, it wasn't him."

"An imposter?" There was merit to Ken's suggestion, but he didn't sound very certain.

"Maybe. On the other hand, with the Takatori fortune at his disposal, it wouldn't be too hard to buy a few alibi's."

"But do you really think Omi would do something like that?" The soccer player always had a hard time believing the worse of anyone he called friend. "I can see him trying to protect us. But to get involved in the rest of that stuff? Omi wouldn't."

The idea that Omi had gone bad didn't exactly sit well with the redhead either, but he couldn't just dismiss the possibility. They **were **talking about the boy who'd killed with a smile on his face. And really, how much had any of them known about the others? 

Yoji was shrugging again. "We don't know for sure that it's him. And even if it is Omi, for all we know he's using the family fortune for good. That sounds more like the chibi we knew."

There was truth in that, but he couldn't be sure. 

The boy was a Takatori after all. There were those who believed that blood would tell in the end. 

Violet eyes flashed with determination. Ran certainly intended to find out.

One way or the other.

~*~*~  
Author's Notes:  
It may seem like I gave out a lot of information in this part (and I suppose compared to the first two parts I did) but really I didn't. What is and what seems to be are frequently two completely different things. Sometimes a shadow is really a monster. Although... sometimes a shadow really is just a shadow. ^_^;;; Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was longer than I'd planned, but it just seemed to happen. Ya'll don't mind, do you? N-e-ways. Thanks for taking the time to read and review. It's always greatly appreciated. Ja! NemKess

1) I don't know what color eyes anyone other than Aya and Omi have. I'm afraid I didn't pay anyone else near as much attention as I did them. ^_^;;

Notes to Reviewers:  
_Kasra-_ I hope I didn't spoil the subtlety too bad. Seven years was a pretty random choice. I knew I wanted it to be more than five but less than ten. As you can see, it's possible that it's Omi.. but at the same time, it's possible that it's not. ^_~  
_indigoru-_ I actually had a pretty hard time with the introduction. Nothing really seemed to fit without giving away the mystery. I'm glad that I settled on something that worked.   
_Everyone-_ I love Ran and Omi together. They're just so adorable! ^_^ I'm glad that you're all enjoying the fic and I am writing as fast as my poor fingers will allow. ^_^ Thanks!  



	4. Chapter 3

Title: Blood-Stained Angel  
Author/pseudonym: NemKess  
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz  
Pairing: none here, future Ran/Omi, Schuldig/Farfello  
Rating: R  
Status: WIP  
E-mail address for feedback:: nemsmuses@msn.com  
  


Disclaimers: Weiss belong to me? I could only wish. Nope, not mine.

  
Notes: The fic 'A Name' is not a necessary read for this fic to make sense, but it does give background to some things. I'd recommend checking it out first. Regardless, this fic disregards anything canon that might have happened after the first 25 episodes. That's all I own and have seen, that's all that's being included as background info here.  
  
Summary: When Weiss is disbanded, the vigilantes go back to living their normal lives. The problem is that one of them never had a normal life to begin with.   
Warnings: eventual shonen ai. violence. possible OOCness.

~*~*~

_The Darkness cannot hide your sins.  
Eyes watch  
Seeing  
Knowing  
Angel eyes  
Cutting through the Darkness into your heart._

~*~*~

"Takatori-san?"

The young man looked up from his desk to see one of the newer techs hovering in his doorway looking uncertain. Pushing a lock of dark hair behind one ear, he arched a brow. "Yes?"

"Um.. We have intruders, sir. Sadora-san gave the order to terminate them, but your bodyguards stopped us. They said you'd want to know about them first."

Well, that certainly got Takatori's attention. Especially given that Abyssian had seen Bombay during the assassin's protective mission a few nights earlier. 

They'd been expecting a visit.

How typical of the former Weiss to try and sneak in the back rather than just trust their former employers and walk up to knock at the front door.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. Then, sparing only a glance at the work he'd been trying to get done, he moved to follow the tech down into the control room. Security for the entire facility was headquartered there and he'd be able to see the identities of the intruders for sure.

The man calling himself Takatori Mamoru these days had spent years carefully studying his predecessors mistakes and now he was determined not to repeat them. As such, it was virtually impossible to get in or out of any of Kritiker's properties without being found out. Those who broke in and made it out, only did so on his severance.

Only Bombay had ever slipped past the systems undetected when he'd first tested out the improvements. And even the little computer genius cum assassin had had a damn hard time of it.

The security supervisor was on him before he'd even gotten all the way in the door.

"Good evening, sir. I'm sorry that you had to be disturbed with this but-"

"It's quite all right, Sadora-san. I was about to take a break, anyway." He hadn't been, but the woman could be maniacal in her worry that her boss was in any way bothered or annoyed. It was always best to head her off before she could get worked up. "How many are there? Have the cameras picked them up yet?"

"Three, sir." Her voice was professional again, having lost their slightly frantic edge at his assurances. "They haven't harmed anyone yet. They appear to be after information. That one has spent the last ten minutes trying to hack into the computer system."

The dark haired man watched in mild amusement as the scowling face of Kudou Yoji was pointed out to him. Behind him, Fujimiya looked torn between making snarky remarks about the older man's lack of computer skills or killing him for taking so long. "So, Weiss has returned."

He was disappointed of course. So much effort had been made to keep them out of the life and here they were, throwing it all away for information they could have gotten with a simple phone call to Manx.

"They're looking for their little _Kätzchen_."

Takatori turned to meet the emerald eyes gazing at him with amusement. He didn't ask the man how he was so sure, just quirked a grin of his own before moving over to one of the computers and politely asking the tech stationed there to move. 

For a second he just stared at the screen, wondering at the best way to handle the situation. Hitting upon a solution that would appease the most people- if Weiss handled it right- his fingers flew over the keys.

"What are you doing, sir?" Sadora-san asked.

When he looked up, it was to meet the eyes of his bodyguard and the man's mostly silent shadow. "If it's the _Kätzchen_ they want, then that's exactly what we're going to give them."

"Giving Bombay new orders then?"

With a nod, he stood back up to watch as Fujimiya got fed up and pushed Kudou out of his way. He smiled, knowing that Abyssian wouldn't have near the trouble getting in as his companion had. It was amusing to watch the older of the pair huff in annoyance as the younger made it into the system in minutes.

The intruders had just finished saving the information they'd just found to a disc when the last one appeared towards the corner of the screen. Hidaka was trying to rush them out.

Those in the control room watched them go, the techs and security personnel eyeing their boss oddly. He wasn't usually so docile when it came to such transgressions. 

They all breathed a little easier at the unpleasant smile on his face. "Now. Let's see if they can put the puzzle together." 

TBC

~*~*~

_Kätzchen_- Kitten


	5. Chapter 4

Title: Blood-Stained Angel  
Author/pseudonym: NemKess  
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz  
Pairing: Ran/Omi, Schuldig/Farfello  
Rating: R  
Status: WIP  
E-mail address for feedback:: nemsmuses@msn.com  
My LiveJournal ID: nemkess  
  


Disclaimers: Weiss belong to me? I could only wish. Nope, not mine.

  
Notes: The fic 'A Name' is not a necessary read for this fic to make sense, but it does give background to some things. I'd recommend checking it out first. Regardless, this fic disregards anything canon that might have happened after the first 25 episodes. That's all I own and have seen, that's all that's being included as background info here.  
  
Summary: When Weiss is disbanded, the vigilantes go back to living their normal lives. The problem is that one of them never had a normal life to begin with.   
Warnings: definite shonen ai. violence. possible OOCness.

~*~*~

_Darkness or Light,  
Evil or Sin,  
Hate or Love,  
Which are you really  
Angel of mine?_

~*~*~

The sun shone off the honey blonde hair of the young man sitting at the cafe table, lending a halo effect that made him look even more angelic than Ran remembered. 

Passersby kept getting in his line of vision and the redhead eased around one corner, pretending to window shop. The new position allowed him a less obstructed view and he took a moment to observe his former comrade-in-arms. 

There were no drastic changes that Ran could see, but the subtle ones lent an effect that could not be denied.

Omi had grown up.

The baby fat that had clung so persistently to the boy's cheeks had melted just enough that while he still looked younger than his twenty four years, he no longer looked like a cherubic child as he had before. The sleeveless shirt he wore clung to a subtly muscled chest while showing off well-defined arms. He was broader at the shoulder and Ran couldn't be sure while the other man was sitting, but it looked like he had finally gotten his last growth spurt sometime after they'd parted ways. Not as tall as Youji, but perhaps close to Ran's own height. And despite the soft smile playing about Omi's face, there was a sense of severity and maturity that he didn't recall in 'Omittchi'. This young man radiated a quiet confidence that had been lacking before. 

The overall picture of 'adult' Omi was attractive to him in a way that he'd never considered 'chibi' Omi to be.

With a forceful shake of his head, Ran reminded himself that he was not here to gawk at an attractive male, he was here for answers. Nothing more, nothing less.

_Yeah, sure. I believe you, really. _He ignored the sarcastic Youji-like voice in his head.

The information they'd swiped from Kritiker headquarters had been sketchy at best, but it had been enough to confirm that Bombay was still an active assassin for them and that he had been for years **before** Weiss had ever been formed. Finding Omi hadn't been too difficult once they'd managed to find his newest target. Once the computer checks were out of the way, he'd begun the reconnaissance part of his mission by putting himself outside the target's place of work and observing the routines there. The chibi might have grown up, but his work habits were still the same.

This marked the second day in a row that found Ran observing Omi as Omi observed his target. The day before he'd meandered through the crowd, keeping an eye out and making sure to keep a baseball cap pulled low to cover up his flame colored hair. 

Today he planned on actually making contact with his own 'target'.

Ran winced at the thought of Omi as the enemy, but was resolute. If the boy he remembered with fondness had willingly taken up the name and former business practices of a Takatori, then he deserved only contempt. Not that they'd actually managed to prove Mamoru's identity one way or the other. If the files on Bombay had been sketchy, the ones on the new head of Kritiker were practically non-existent and the single picture they'd managed to find had been of the back of a mop of almost raven colored hair.

It was frustrating. 

"Enough stalling," he muttered to himself. Ruffling his hair a bit, he used the window of the shop in front of him to make sure he was sporting a suitably pleasant, non-threatening expression. 

He took a deep breath and moved in for first contact.

"O-Omi?" _Good_, he thought. His voice held just the right amount of surprised confusion, like he hadn't expected to run into the other man in a million years.

"Ran-kun?" Omi's own eyes widened with shock and his jaw dropped briefly before he stood up suddenly and hugged the redhead. The former Abyssinian noted idly that he'd been right about the height. The 'chibi' was now only an inch or so shorter. Pulling back, but not letting go, he beamed at his surprise visitor before his face wrinkled up into that adorably confused expression that Ran remembered so well. "Ran-kun! What on Earth are you doing in Tokyo? I thought you and Aya-chan bought a bookshop in Mitaka City(1)?"

Amethyst eyes narrowed for a second before Ran caught himself. The question was hardly a denial that Omi had been there. Besides, the whole plan he and Youji had worked out- despite the vocal disapproval from both Ken and Aya-chan- depended on the younger man not knowing that Ran was aware of his guardian angel tendencies.

"Hai," he responded with a small smile as he held up a list. "We did. I'm shopping." 

"You? Shopping?" The blonde sat back down, gesturing from the seat across from him. Still grinning, he propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his clasp hands. The concentration of earlier had been redirected and Ran found himself pinned by sparkling cerulean eyes. It was almost enough to distract him from the subtle shifting of papers on the table that covered up whatever Omi had been working on. Almost. "I'm impressed! Aya-chan must be an extraordinary influence on you. You're both well?"

With a nod, Ran leaned back. "Hai. She's made a lot of improvement. You can hardly tell she missed two years now."

The gleam in Omi's eyes was satisfied. "I'm glad."

An awkward silence filled before Omi reached over to take the list from him. "What are you shopping for, anyways?" His hand hesitated just above the paper in Ran's. "If it's not intruding?"

Handing over the list and shrugging, Ran replied. "Not at all. Aya-chan decided we needed a new computer and some updated bookkeeping software for the shop and couldn't come herself."

His fingers tingled at the brief brush of their hands and he shifted uncomfortably. Maybe Aya-chan was right when she'd teased him about 'getting laid more often' if a simple touch on the hand was affecting him. He'd scolded her for being unladylike at the time, but now he thought he could see her point.

"This isn't exactly a detailed list. Where were you going to get it at?"

Shrug. "The first computer shop I see?"

The bulging of Omi's eyes was comical enough to make Ran chuckle in genuine amusement. "You can't do that! This isn't like a sweatshirt or television, you know! You have to know what you want, what you need. You'll get taken horrible advantage of if you just waltz into a shop and give this to a commission motivated employee!"

Ran looked doubtful. "I'm not the computer genius you are, Omi. As long as it works, what does it matter?"

His response was an aggravated sigh. "Potentially? A few thousand dollars and a lot of hassle." Omi pulled his pencil out from where he'd tucked behind his ear. Turning the paper over, he looked back up at his companion. "Okay, what exactly do you want to be able to do with?"

"Bookkeeping."

"And?"

"Inventory?" He wasn't sure, really. He and Aya-chan handled both on paper, although they'd considered getting a computer before. What he'd said to Omi was true, he wasn't a computer genius and his sister was even worse. In the end, they'd decided that figuring out what they needed and how to set it up wasn't worth the effort when regular books would work. Either way, it made a good cover.

Omi sighed and rubbed his eyes, another familiar gesture. The chibi had frequently gotten frustrated with all of them when they just couldn't keep up with his technical babble. It all came to him so naturally that he had a hard time remembering that not everyone was at his level. "Okay. Do you think you'll be storing a lot of information on it? How many gigs of memory space do you anticipate needing? Will you need email? Do you want to be able to set up an internet site to sell books online? Do you want to be able to play games? In other words, are you going to need a great graphics card or will a mediocre one do? And what about the bookkeeping? Some are easier than others, but some can do a lot more. And some of the cheaper programs are just as good as the more expensive ones, better even."

There was no need to feign his confusion. While he understood most of what he'd been asked, he didn't know the answers to any of those questions. Obviously he and Youji should have planned a few more details.

Luckily, Omi only interpreted the lost part of his expression. With a shake of his head, the younger man handed the list back. "You need to decide those things and then take someone with you who knows something about computers. Otherwise some lucky worker is going to have a field day loading you up with things you don't need and probably very little of what you do."

_Perfect_. "Can... Would you help me, Omi? I promised Aya-chan I'd get this done today. I've put it off too long as it is."

The question seemed to jolt the assassin back into remembering what he was supposed to be doing in the first place. He glanced over at the building he'd been watching and then back and Ran, biting his lower lip. The battle between his desire to help, to go with the friend he hadn't spent real time with in years and his sense of duty and need to follow his orders was clear in his eyes. To Ran at least. 

"I..." Something flashed in those cerulean eyes before his expression smoothed back out. "Hai, Ran-kun. I'd love to help. Just let me.." He tucked the papers, notepad, and pencil he'd been working with into the backpack leaning against his chair. "Okay. For today, I'm all yours!"

Ran's lips quirked at the sudden flush that spread over the lightly tanned cheeks as his former teammate realized how the comment had sounded. Still, he didn't take it back, just smiled bashfully and the older of the pair was reminded of their one brief, one-sided kiss. Perhaps Omi still had a crush on him? That made things both better and worse. Better because it made the plan easier to implement. Worse because it tugged on Ran's conscience in a painful way.

His own smile faded.

For a moment, he considered just sitting Omi back down, explaining everything he knew or suspected, and asking all his questions straight out. It felt horribly wrong to take advantage of the other man's feelings for him. The discomfort had been bad enough when he'd thought he was only taking advantage of an old friendship. It had magnified tenfold at the idea that it was more than that. What kind of crush lasted over seven years?

The crushed expression on Omi's young face when Aya had so hatefully lumped him in with the other Takatori's flashed through his mind as well as the elated look when he'd declared that the chibi was Tsukiyono Omi and not Takatori Mamoru. 

Ruthlessly, he pushed the images and doubts away. Until he'd determined beyond any doubt that Kritiker's new head was clean or not and whether or not Mamoru and Omi were one and the same, he was taking no chances. 

Still, he hoped that things went in Omi's favor. He really did.

~*~*~  
Author's Notes:  
Hullo! Sorry this part took so long. ^_^ I got a live journal, joined a RPG, and have been sick. All in all, it's been hard working on much of anything, though I did do a short PSME piece.   
For anyone wondering at the ease with which Omi calls Ran by his given name when Ken and Youji had such a hard time with it, well.. That's what Omi first knew him as in my WK universe. It was harder for him to get used to 'Aya-kun', actually. This piece wasn't actually all that hard to write once I got started.. It was just the first few sentences that had to be forced. Well, I hope this is okay and ya'll enjoy it. Ja! NemKess

Notes to Reviewers:  
_Kruo-Koneko_- No, Ran is very much not happy with the idea that Omi might have taken up the name again. ^_^ But I suppose if Mamoru proves to be 'friendly' as it were, and not doing the same things as his father and brothers, then he might get over it. Still, he at least is really, really hoping that the new head is an imposter.   
_Kasra_- Confused, ne? ^_^ No worries! It'll make sense in the end. I haven't seen Gluhen, yet so I didn't know they were all the same. There's a reason Schu and Farfie are working with Mamoru, but while it'll be talked about, that's actually a prequel I haven't finished yet.   
_Jacques_- Thanks! I know a few bits from Gluhen, like where Persian actually got Omi's name, but not much.   
_fanny-chan2_- all will be revealed in due time... ^_~ My goal is to wrap everything up in a way that you look back and say 'Oh, I get it!'  
_Everyone_- Thanks for the support and reviews for the fic! I appreciate it. And I will try to keep most of the chapters this length or longer though most of Mamoru's will be short to keep from revealing too much about him too soon. Thanks for the eye color help. I went back and re-watched my dvd's again, so I've been inspired! ^_^ 

1)The area was named Mitaka in 1889 for the cluster of villages within three (Mi) districts that formerly were the hunting grounds with falcons (Taka) for shogunate. Mitaka has developed as a suburban "bedroom town" of Tokyo, and is known as being the first city in Japan to complete its own independent sewage waterworks and for having a pioneering community administration. During the rapid economic growth of the 1960s, Mitaka's population expanded from 90,000 in 1960 to 150,000 in 1970. Over the passed 30 years the population has reached over 170,000. (borrowed from Tourist Information Brochure about the Tokyo Metropolis) So, it's still in the city technically but was the closest thing to what I had in mind for Ran and Aya-Chan's home. For more info go here-   



	6. Chapter 5

Title: Blood-Stained Angel  
Author/pseudonym: NemKess  
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz  
Pairing: Ran/Omi, Schuldig/Farfello  
Rating: R  
Status: WIP  
E-mail address for feedback:: nemsmuses@msn.com  
  


Disclaimers: Weiss belong to me? I could only wish. Nope, not mine.

  
Notes: The fic 'A Name' is not a necessary read for this fic to make sense, but it does give background to some things. I'd recommend checking it out first. Regardless, this fic disregards anything canon that might have happened after the first 25 episodes. That's all I own and have seen, that's all that's being included as background info here.  
  
Summary: When Weiss is disbanded, the vigilantes go back to living their normal lives. The problem is that one of them never had a normal life to begin with.   
Warnings: shonen ai. violence. Schwartz OOCness, but it's **explainable** OOCness.

~*~*~

_The Darkness breeds it's demons  
Faces that haunt your dreams  
Demons that destroy  
Demons that protect  
They crave the Light  
Even as they shun it_

~*~*~

Night was falling as the pair in the shadows stood watching their target as he hopped into the aging white porche. 

The crowds were dispersing but the pair remained as they were, not daring to venture out into the swarm of humanity that still littered the streets. 

Finally the orange haired man had enough of the silent communication between them and spoke aloud. "Well. That's that then. The _Kätzchen _is on his own for the night_._"

His companion moved closer and peered up at him in exasperation. 

Schuldig shrugged. "It's not our call. He's convinced Fujimiya will do the right thing in the end."

Another long moment of silence was followed by a chuckle from the German. "Of course it's foolishness. You know that and I know that. Hell, even Manx knows that. But, he wouldn't be the _Kätzchen _we know and love if he didn't carry that foolish optimism about him like a cloak."

If the assassin felt odd standing in a dark alleyway talking to himself, he gave no indication of it. With another shrug, he turned and moved closer to his silent shadow. He'd noticed a fine sheen of sweat starting to glaze the pale man's skin. Obviously it was time to leave humanity behind. "_Zu Freistätte dann_?" 

Rather than answer, Farfarello just turned and left . His mouthy companion chuckled and followed.

~*~*~

"Report?"

With a glare, Schuldig shrugged. "Abyssinian finally made contact, they spent the day together, _Kätzchen_ got him a good deal on a computer, they went back to the Fujimiya place for dinner."

"You let him go?!" The sudden widening of Manx's eyes and the rippling of her genuine shock, something she always kept careful control over, would have been comical to the telepath any other day. As it was, he could feel Farf's strength fading as the woman's emotions battered at them both. A long day spent in the heart of a busy downtown Tokyo had worn on them both. All Schuldig wanted right then was to get his companion and himself safely to their specially shielded room.

When she looked like she was going to continue the pointless conversation, he glared at her and nodded his head towards Farfarello meaningfully. 

Thankfully Manx hadn't gotten her position on good looks alone. Swift as ever, she quelled her need to interrogate them, spun on her heel, and left them where they stood.

"You know, Farfie, I don't think she likes us, even after all these years." He ignored the one-eyed glare and grinned. Farfarello wouldn't flip out over a little nickname. Well.. Not too badly anyways. And any rage that did spill out would be directed elsewhere. "_Zu Bett_?" 

There was a faint ripple in their connection that had him hurrying to the pale man's side. He slipped one arm around the too-slim waist, just in the nick of time too as his companion's strength failed. Despite the fact that he was carrying bulk of the Irishman's weight, he still managed to make it look fairly casual as they continued on to their room.

Only a handful of people knew them as anything other than 'the bosses weird bodyguards'. Their physic abilities, both the natural ones and those manufactured, were a well kept secret from anyone who hadn't known them before. Mostly because it while it had always been one of the German's biggest strength's, it was most definitely Farfarello's biggest weaknesses.

Schuldig nodded amicably to the techs and other workers they passed, feeling the mind tied to his shudder with each one. He sped up.

Once they finally made it to their door, he lifted a palm to swipe for the security scanner. There was a beeping sound and the door slid open.

It shut behind him and almost immediately, the mental noise of the other people in the building disappeared.

Sagging against him, Farfarello made a faint noise of relief. 

Orange hair, finally as long as it had been back when they'd played with Weiss on a regular basis, swung about gently as Schuldig shook his head and swept his partner up into his arms to carry him the rest of the way to their bed. 

If he could go back and kill those bastards again, he would. He could imagine all the ways he'd torture them. _Kätzchen _hadn't allowed it before, but now.. all these years later.. even their little friend hated for the damage that had been done. 

The dark thoughts were pushed resolutely away as another shudder passed through Farfarello. He was doing more harm than good at the moment and that wasn't what he wanted.

"_Ich bin erbärmlich_," he whispered. "_So __ erbärmlich_ ." He wasn't really sure what he was apologizing for, the words just tumbled out. The paler man curled up into a near fetal position when he was laid down and Schuldig eased down behind him, offering what help he could, little though it was.

After the fight with Weiss over the Estet resurrection thing had ended with them all getting dunked into the lake, all of Schwartz- minus Crawford who'd apparently drowned- had woken up in a quasi-military facility. Apparently they'd been sold out long before they'd ever brought those old rats the Fujimiya girl and their new 'owners' had been waiting to collect as soon as the ceremony was over. Weiss and the buildings sinking had just made it easier for them. 

Schuldig often wondered if Crawford might not have 'seen' what was in store for them and had let himself die on purpose. There'd certainly been times in the two or so years that they'd been held that he'd wished he'd never been fished out of the damn lake. The military had wanted to find a way to spread their unique curses around to their own soldiers- Schuldig's telepathy, Farfarello's odd nervous system, Nagi's telekinesis. And they were the guinea pigs for all the ideas the scientists came up with.

There'd been some success of course, but the side effects and failures were staggering.

They'd managed to pass Schuldig's telepathy to Farfarello, but it nearly crippled the other man. Unnatural as it was, even with the German's help he hadn't been able to build anything remotely resembling shielding and barriers. 

And the pair were tied together mentally now. They couldn't be more than a quarter mile apart before the Irishman would pass out completely and Schuldig would be weakened to the point he'd barely be able to drag himself back to his partner's side. 

By the time Nagi managed to escape, it had become obvious that Farfarello would never be able to make it out without being overwhelmed and Schuldig couldn't leave without him. They'd caused a distraction to let the telekinetic get away and then had sat back and hoped that they'd be killed for their efforts.

It had been something of a surprise then, to look up one night to find Bombay dropping into their shared cell from a ventilation shaft. He'd been afraid that the rescue party would be in vain until they'd discovered the only thing that had saved their sanity in the end. The littlest Weiss kitten, when he dropped the Omi Tsukiyono persona completely, had the strongest mental shields of anyone Schuldig had ever met. And upon understanding their conditions, he'd allowed the natural telepath to manipulate it so that his shields protected them all.

Bombay had taken them back to Kritiker, grudgingly, and they'd been there ever since.

It was an odd little family they made. And though Schuldig knew the kid was still a little uncomfortable with it sometimes, Farfarello and _Kätzchen _had made peace concerning Ouka's shooting. He supposed it was a little difficult for someone who still clung to the gentler traits of a genki kid to hate a man who'd been as thoroughly broken as Farfie had been when they'd been rescued. 

Farfarello had always said he wanted to feel pain, at least once, in his life. Just to see what it felt like.

_Seien Sie vorsichtig, was Sie für wünschen_, as his father used to say. 

The whisper of a voice he hadn't heard aloud in year's brushed across the back of his mind and he turned his attention back to the present. "He'll be back soon."

He closed his eyes and pulled Farfarello closer before settling into a light, uneasy sleep.

Hours later, he only partially woke up as a body slid in between them. The _Kätzchen_'s shields settled over them like a warm blanket and the tensions that had been left over from the stressful day were finally soothed. 

The younger man's emotions were high, but in a comforting way. Drowsy, Schuldig didn't do more than a surface scan to see that whatever had happened had made _Kätzchen _very, very happy.

"Go back to sleep," the blonde whispered softly. "We can talk in the morning."

A faint mental brush from Farfarello to see that their companion was unscathed and the other settled completely into a deep sleep that would heal the pale man's battered mind. It also pulled Schuldig right back to sleep.

~*~*~

Author's Notes  
Well, there's a little taste of Schuldig and Farfie.. ^_^ The bulk of their story is in one of the prequels that I'm writing for B-SA. For those wondering why Schu never calls Omi anything other than _Kätzchen, _there is a reason for it. It will get explained. Just not yet. ^_~ 

Translations  
_Kätzchen_- Kitten  
_Zu Freistätte dann_?- "To Sanctuary, then?"  
_Zu Bett_?- To bed?  
_Ich bin erbärmlich_.- I am sorry  
_Seien Sie vorsichtig, was Sie für wünschen_. - Be careful what you wish for.  


Notes to Reviewers  
_Kuro-Koneko_- I only wish I could draw you the image in my head. *drools* Grown up Omi is everything I ever wanted in a guy! ^_^ There was some mention of Schu and Farf in this chapter, more later. B-SA won't ever go really in depth about them, but I will finish up the prequel about them and why they're with Omi. ^_^   
_Tewks_- ^_^ a goddess, ne? lol... Sure, why not? Yes, I'm female. And yes, I'll update soon!   
Laura- Thanks! I'm not sure I'd call it the best Weiss fic, but I do kinda like it myself. I can't picture Omi just going about his merry way after the group disbands. I mean, he really never did have a regular life, not that he can remember anyways. And in those few weeks/months after they separated the first time, you could tell 'normal' life chafed him when he watched the news...  
_Sakusha_- ^_^;;; feel free to wack him all you like, just please don't kill him if he makes an ass out of himself. Omi might want him back, ya know... as for Omi's looks.. see note to Kuro... Very handsome... At this point, confused is good.. If you're not, then I'm not writing this the way I wanted. ^_^ No worries.. It'll make sense in the end.   
_Lady Readwolf_- I wasn't sure what you meant by 'previous mishandlings' but all in all, thanks for your feedback even if it was mostly questions. ^_^;; I'm really glad you seem to be enjoying it. I am trying to make each chapter longer but most of the questions won't be fully answered til the end.   
_Everyone_- Thanks for reading and reviewing! For story updates and notices on problems and such, feel free to check out my livejournal! Link is in my bio. Ja!


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